Another Era
by Simone98
Summary: Morgana grows desperate to defeat Arthur and Emrys, and so she enlists the help of the Grimward. This ancient tablet gives her the advantage in an unexpected way. Will Arthur and Merlin be able to stop Morgana's plans? And what will result when the Grimward is activated? Includes a bit of time travel/sorcery.
1. Prelude

**Hey, so this is my first ever fan fiction! I just had this idea and I couldn't get it out of my head. I'm trying to set it around the time before season 5, but there might be some discrepancies. Either way, I hope you enjoy.**

Morgana picked her way through the wretched cave. The walls were covered in mold, the floor was littered with who knows what, and the rocks on the floor seemed to reek of death. Small lizards and bugs scattered across her path now and then as she carefully climbed further and further inside. At last she found what she was looking for. Sitting patiently, almost as though she knew Morgana was coming, lay a grotesque old sorceress. Age had not been kind to her and her haggard old body was plagued with wrinkles, warts, and strange growths. Her eyes had faded with time and were now a lack-luster gray that spoke of wisdom and pain. At Morgana's approach she lifted her weary face and gave Morgana a grin that sent chills down her spine. "The Lady Morgana has come to visit little old me? Times must be desperate." Morgana lifted her chin in defiance. "I have not come for you, but rather for what you posses." The old witch gave a knowing sneer, "And what in the kingdoms could that be?" "Don't play a fool," Morgana snapped, "The grimward, I want it." The old woman frowned, "And why should I give it to you? Last I heard you have been on the losing side countless times because of the great Emrys. Why should this attempt be any different?" "Because," Morgana explained in her cool and even tone, "This time I will know exactly what Arthur and Emrys plan before they can even consider it. With the grimward I will gain the knowledge of every tactic they will ever try." The witch gave the young lady a small grin and reached into the thick gray cloak covering her. From within the folds she pulled out a thick stone tablet, scarred in complex symbols and ancient incantations long forgotten by time. "You understand," the witch stated as she passed the tablet into Morgana's waiting hands, "That the grimward requires a heavy sacrifice. A sorcerer who has lived that long and can be killed will not be easy to find." "I understand," Morgana spoke as she drew out her sharpened dagger and plunged it into the feeble witches chest, "A sorceress, however, is standing right in front of me." The witch gaped at Morgana with wide eyes that quickly drained of the little life she had left. Morgana's face betrayed no emotions and offered little pity to the now dead witch. As she knelt over the body, she cut out what she required. She stuffed the heart that had just finished beating into her bag and left the cave carrying her new-found weapon.

**YAY! So of course this is short (being a sort of prelude) but I'll have the first chapter up immediately. As a new writer I would love any suggestions you have ,so review away!**


	2. Chapter 1

"Merlin you idiot! How am I supposed to wear this to the meeting?" Merlin turned to look as Arthur held up his tunic with a gaping hole where the shoulder should be. "Sorry sire," Merlin replied as he exchanged the ruined shirt for another, more intact, version. "It's not as though the knights are going to see it underneath all of your chain mail."Arthur gave Merlin a bewildered look, "That doesn't mean I should walk around with my clothing in tatters!" Merlin brought the torn tunic to the other end of the room and stuffed it in his bag, he'd have to fix that later. He lifted Arthur's chain mail from its resting place on the table and worked to fit it onto a now impatient king. "I still have no clue why you bother to wear this all day," Merlin mumbled, "It ways a ton and takes an eternity to put on" "Because," Arthur stated in a tone that implied Merlin should already know this, "A knight must always be ready for battle, you never know when something might happen." At that moment Gawain knocked and stuck his head into the spacious room. "My Lord," he spoke, "Something has happened." Arthur shot Merlin a looked of "See?" as he rushed out of the room to join the others.

The knights sat quietly around the enormous round table as Leon recounted the latest findings. "Morgana was spotted a few nights ago near Cenred's kingdom," he informed. "Villagers who know the area and it's history are anxious about why she is there." "And why should they be?" Arthur inquired. "The villagers say that the land has the key parts needed to enact a powerful spell." Leon gave the table a meaningful look," An old woman, said to be a sorcerer, lives in one of the caves to the far west. Legend says that she is the ancient protector of a tablet. The stories differ on what, exactly, it does but it is definitely magical. Some villagers say it invokes the wrath of the gods and others went as far as to say it opened the gates of Hell. In all accounts though, it is always portrayed as dangerous. Now, the old woman who protects the tablet used to deny its power to any and everyone. However, with the outlawing of sorcery in Camelot villagers say that she seeks the downfall of our kingdom. Since Morgana was seen searching through those lands it is realistic to assume that she is going after this tablet. However, the villagers say that the spell needed to activate the tablet had a long ingredient list. This could buy us some time to stop Morgana before she can complete her quest." Leon gazed around the table as the knights contemplated how to act. Merlin stood in the corner of the room and tried to recall anything he might have read about such a tablet. Arthur was the first to speak, "If Morgana is planning on using sorcery then we must stop her before she can do anything that might bring danger to Camelot. I'll take a group of knights east towards Cenred's lands and we'll question the villagers if they have seen any trace of Morgana. If we can get a trail and catch her we can stop her quickly." The knights around the table nodded their heads in agreement and Guinevere gave Arthur an encouraging smile. "We leave at dawn," Arthur spoke as he left. Merlin quickly fell into step. "How do we know if this tablet is even real? For all we know it could be myth and legend." "True," Arthur replied, "But as long as there's a chance that it could be real, we have to make sure Morgana cannot use it."

That night Merlin sat with Gaius as he ate supper. "Have you heard anything about this tablet?" he asked. "I'm not sure," Gaius replied,"There are many stories of many tablets fabled to be spread among the kingdoms. Without specifics I've no idea what kind of tablet I should be thinking of."Merlin nodded and pushed around his food. "Well it must be important is Morgana is searching for it. Arthur will probably looking for weeks.""Well then," Gaius retorted, "You had better pack.

**First official chapter! I would continue but it's almost midnight and I have to work tomorrow. Any ideas as to what the Grimward does? Reviews are always appreciated and I'll post the next chapter as soon as possible.**


	3. Chapter 3

At first light the knights had prepared their horses and were waiting in the courtyard. Leon talked casually with Elyan while Gawain seemed to be recounting a rather hilarious story to Percival, even though he did not seem to find it funny. Each knight donned their thick chain mail and brilliant red cloaks. Their tall horses were laden with supplies for it would be a while until they encountered a place to restock. Arthur stood by his horse at the front of the group making final adjustments. Merlin led his horse up to the front and turned to face Arthur. "You ready?" Arthur cast Merlin a glance as he climbed onto his saddle, "Of course." As the knights rode out of Camelot Arthur turned to waive goodbye to Guinevere. She smiled and returned the gesture as she watched the knights and Merlin ride off. It was an odd sight. The bulky and strong knights with a slender servant at the front. She knew that Merlin would prevent Arthur from doing anything stupid that would keep him away from her for too long. She strode back into the castle as the knights disappeared from view. They rode through the forest, gradually riding closer and closer to Cenred's lands, taking only short breaks to rest the the horses. During one of the breaks, Arthur searched for any tracks as the other knights rested. His sharp blue eyes scanned for broken twigs, horse tacks, anything. His gaze fell on a small flower next to a great oak tree. Branches and leaves had been stepped on, leaving a clear boot print. Arthur was glad for the recent rains because now he could tell that Morgana was heading east and he was on the right path. "I've got a trail!" he shouted back to the resting men. The knights walked towards Arthur to inspect the tracks. "Those boot prints are are clear match to Morgana's. She must be heading east further towards Cenred's kingdom. I don't see any sign of horse tracks so we might be able to catch up to her quickly." Arthur marched back towards his horse and began to prepare his saddle. "We'll have to continue if we want to get the jump on her." The other knights sighed and climbed back onto their horses. Merlin galloped towards Arthur and came to a trot alongside him. "What could Morgana possibly need for this spell that would force her to go without a horse?" "Whatever it is," Arthur stated,"She's in a hurry to get it. She's getting sloppy with covering her trail. Let's hope she hasn't obtained every ingredient yet." And with that the knights continued east as the sun slowly set.

Night had fallen when Arthur raised his hand to halt the riders behind him. He gestured with his hand towards the trees. The group looked out to see a distant trail of smoke rising like a serpent from the trees. It was at least ten miles out but there was no doubting that it had to be Morgana. The knights slipped down from their saddles and slowly led their horses toward the curling smoke. Arthur unsheathed his sword and the other knights followed suit. Merlin readied his magic should anything go wrong and the group walked silently through the trees until they were less than a mile from the fire. They tied up the horses and looked to Arthur. His hand signals told Percival and Leon to go to the far west while Elyan and Gawain took the east. The plan was to surround Morgana while Arthur and Merlin ran in. They split up and Merlin walked noiselessly through the trees with Arthur. The moon hung in the sky as a pale dish among a black emptiness. As they got closer to the flame they could see Morgana huddled over the fire in a clearing. The flames danced around her as she tossed herbs and plants into the heart of the fire and spoke ancient incantations and spells. Merlin looked to Arthur but he shook his head. The other knights hadn't had enough time to surround Morgana. If they ran in now she would be able to escape. Arthur was anxious. If the knights didn't hurry they might miss their chance. They watched as Morgana reached into a leather bag and pulled out, to their dismay, an actual human heart and raised it to the sky. It seemed to glow a bright red as she began to speak an ancient spell. when It then dawned on Arthur, she must have collected all of the ingredients she needed for the tablet to work! Who knows what would happen if she completed the incantation. He needed to stop her now and was about to run in when Merlin grabbed his arm and pulled him back. His eyes told him no, the knights just needed a little more time. If they ran in now she would overpower them easily and make her escape. Arthur ducked back down but he did not look pleased. Morgana finished her incantation and threw the heart into the fire. The flames blazed gold and blue and Morgana gave a wicked smile. She reached into her bag once more and withdrew an ancient looking stone tablet. This, Merlin thought, must be the tablet the villagers had spoken of. If she had it out then the spell was being enacted NOW! The boys looked at each other and silently agreed. Arthur drew his sword and charged into the clearing with Merlin in turn. The other knights saw and followed his example, though we were not as far as they needed to be. Morgana turned towards the knights, easily hiding her surprise, and flung out her hand towards the nearest two, Gawain and Elyan. Her eyes flashed gold as she spoke the magic spell and both knights were thrown back into the forest where they collided head-first with solid trees. She looked towards Leon and Percival and, with a flick of her wrist, sent them the same fate. Arthur and Merlin had nearly reached her when she looked to the ground and uttered a command. the earth parted beneath their feet and they fell neatly into a deep cavern. As they struggled to find a way out Morgana calmly walked toward the roof of the pit and looked down. "It's so nice of you to drop by Arthur," she taunted. "Did you really think your silly knights could stop me? Most of them aren't even of noble blood." Arthur looked around the cavern for a way out as he tried to stall Morgana. "I heard you'd been scouring the kingdoms for a tablet. I thought I would see what all the fuss was." "Oh you don't know what this tablet is?" Morgana questioned as she scrutinized the stone. "This is the ancient grimward. It was created by the old religion and the high priestesses. Of course when Uther started his war against magic the tablet was hidden from him. It takes powerful magic to get it to work. Maybe I'll let you live long enough to see what it if you'll excuse me, I have a spell to finish." She turned toward the fire and continued her incantation. Arthur scanned the walls until he found a ledge just a bit taller than he was. "Get up there, Merlin," He said as he lifted his servant closer to the ledge. Merlin grabbed at the ledge but took some time to pull himself up. "Hurry up, Merlin!" Arthur shouted."I'm not exactly known for my amazing feats of strength!" Merlin protested. He finally pulled himself onto the ledge and looked out towards Morgana. She had not noticed him and was still speaking the incantations. Merlin watched as she drew out her dagger and slit her hand. As she let the blood fall onto the grimward the flames grew larger and larger. "Pull me out!" Arthur shouted, distracting Merlin. He reached down to pull Arthur out as Morgana's shouting became louder and more powerful. He had just pulled Arthur out when she uttered the final word and the flames burst gold and five times their regular height. In a last ditch attempt Arthur threw his sword towards Morgana. She was startled out of her trance as it flew inches from her face and in her shock she dropped the grimward. As it hit the unforgiving ground the tablet split and the flames became uncontrollable. A wave of power escaped from the fire and hit the closest thing to it; Morgana. She flew through the air into the far end of the clearing. As the flames rose twenty feet in the air Morgana must have seen that she was not in a winning position. Her eyes flashed gold as she screeched a powerful spell. A cloud of black smoke enveloped her and she disappeared. Merlin and Arthur watched as the flames exploded in a flash of gold and blue before dying out, leaving behind a crater six feet deep. Merlin turned to Arthur when he heard a gasp sound from the crater. He and Arthur looked into the hole to see what the grimward had left behind.

**GAHH! I feel so evil for leaving a cliffhanger like that. I'm so happy to get this far. I feel like I was racing to get here so that I could write the fun part. Reviews always appreciated and I will post chapter 3 ASAP, though it might not be as soon as I did the first two. Luv you guys! **


	4. Chapter 4

Arthur and Merlin walked closer to the mouth of the crater and peered inside. Merlin was a combination of shocked and confused at what he found. In the center of the still smoking crater lay a young lady. She couldn't have been more than a year younger than him and her long legs put her just a few inches shorter. She lay curled in a ball but Merlin could see that she was slender. She wasn't, however, the weak sort of slender. Her tanned skin made him think that she might work as a farmer but her perfectly trimmed nails begged to differ. She was certainly dressed strange. She wore tight blue trousers, tighter than he had ever seen before, which made him feel as though he should look away. And so he felt even more uncomfortable at noticing her fitted top that hugged her petite frame. The other knights had recovered and surrounded the crater, some with swords drawn. Arthur was about to move forward when the girl seemed to wake up. A soft groan sounded from her lips as she looked up and around. Wide hazel eyes framed her slender face while long, dark auburn hair fell to the middle of her back. Upon realizing that she was in the middle of a crater and surrounded by men with weapons she shrieked and searched frantically for some means of escape. "Wait!" Arthur called, "We mean you no harm." He motioned to the other knights and they quickly sheathed their swords. The girl seemed a bit less about to have a panic attack so Arthur presented his most welcoming smile. "First things first, what is your name?" The girl hesitated a moment before answering, "Jane." Her voice seemed relaxed despite her obvious fear. A soft melody that was easily carried by the wind yet seemed to command power and attention. "Well Jane," Arthur said, offering his hand, "Let us help you out of this hole, then we may talk." Merlin skidded down the steep slope to an uncertain Jane and held out his hand. It took a while but eventually both Merlin and Arthur managed to pull Jane from the deep crater. Once she escaped the hole she turned to the knights with a spark in her eye that demanded answers. "Where am I? And why are you guys dressed like you're from a renaissance fair?" The knights shot each other the same confused look. Renaissance fair? Maybe she was mad. But she didn't really look mad, in fact she looked perfectly sane. "You are just outside the border of Camelot," Arthur told her, "Morgana was using a spell that must have brought you to the middle of that crater." Jane looked over her shoulder at the deep hole and turned back to the knights with a smirk on her face. "You're shitting me, right?" The knights looked at her. She couldn't be a lady if she used such language so freely. She turned a circle as she scanned the surrounding trees, "Am I on Punk'd? Where are the cameras?" Merlin shot Arthur a look, maybe she was crazy. He had no idea what a "camera" was. Jane looked at the knights with a grin that slowly disappeared at their straight, even confused, faces. "Are you for real?" She asked, incredulously. "I assure you that I am real," Arthur said with a look of confusion. "Fine then," Jane called with a mocking tone, "If this is Camelot then where is Arthur?" Arthur gave a grin, at least she knew who he was. "King Arthur of Camelot, at your service," he said as he extended his hand. She, however, did not shake it. She just stared at him with an astounded look on her face. "Wait, if you're claiming to be Arthur," she looked at the knights amassed around her,"Then are you supposed to be the knights of the round table?" Each knights gave a slight bow in acknowledgment as Jane's face slowly sank deeper and deeper into horror. She immediately reached into her back pocket and pulled out what looked like a burnt and melted block. "My phone is roasted!" she gasped in shock,"But, but, but, the flashy thing and the crater and the noise and ,and, and," she reexamined her surroundings with wide eyes until she turned back to a nervous Arthur. "But this can't be right," she claimed, "It's supposed to be 2013. I'm supposed to be studying for a biochem exam tomorrow!" Jane babbled on as Arthur turned to Merlin and his knights. This girl had to be mad. He motioned Merlin away from the group as the knights stood awkwardly watching Jane grow more and more frantic. When they were far enough away Arthur turned to Merlin. "What in the kingdoms did the grimward do?" Arthur questioned. "Did Morgana mess up the spell and bring in some crazy girl and not the intended person?" Merlin paused and thought for a moment. The spell looked like it was going fine until the last few moments. Morgana had said it takes powerful magic, and she had plenty of that. So maybe she wasn't trying to gain a weapon. Maybe she was trying to gain information. "What if," Merlin started as he looked at Arthur,"What if the spell worked? I mean Morgana's been on the losing side for so long, maybe she was trying a new tactic." Arthur just gave him a confused look and silently urged him to continue with his crazy idea. "Did you hear what Jane was raving about? She was talking about cameras and phones and the year 2013! I've never heard of any of those things but she sure seems to know what they are. Maybe she really is from a different time. Just think, if Morgana wanted to know what we were going to do, wouldn't it be easiest to find someone who had already learned about it?" Merlin could see Arthur slowly comprehending his theory as he cast backward glances at Jane, who was now sitting down and trying not to hyperventilate. "Fine then," he resigned, "If she is from the future then she should know the answer to the questions I ask her." He strode back to the group and looked down to the young lady. "So Jane," he prompted, "It appears you are from the future." She looked up to the Arthur's eyes and slowly nodded. "It seems to be the only explanation.""OK," the young man said," Then you won't mind answering a few questions, just to make sure?" She hesitated a moment but nodded in agreement. "An easy one to start, name two knights of the round table." Her face scrunched up as she thought and confidently looked up at Arthur. "You, Arthur, and Lancelot." The knights now looked intrigued, it had been a while since Lancelot had died and not many talked about him. "OK," Arthur continued, "Tell me something you know about me." He'd have to hope she said something that had already happened or else he would not be able to tell if she was right. She didn't even hesitated as she launched into a detailed account of how Arthur removed the great sword of Excalibur and took back Camelot from evil. Arthur was impressed, she got many of the details right but, it was the way she told it that convinced him. She got this far off look in her eyes as though she were retelling an old bedtime story that she'd heard a million times, even though it only happened a few years ago. "Alright then," Arthur announced to the group. He walked toward the crater in the ground where the grimward had been dropped and broken, and retrieved the two pieces. "How about we take Miss. Jane back to Camelot until we can think of a proper plan to get her home." Arthur offered Jane his arm, which she gladly took. He then proceeded to announce each member of the group. When he reached Merlin she paused and her face displayed a new look of interest. Then it dawned on Merlin. If she was from the future then she might know about his magic! He was tense, waiting for her to reveal him, however, she just smiled and continued on with Arthur. As the knights retrieved their horses she went up to Merlin. "Don't worry," she said, grabbing Merlin's attention, "I don't intend on ruining Camelot's best asset so early in the game." Merlin smiled, he was starting to like her. Maybe it was because she grew up in a different time but she was bolder than most of the ladies he knew. Who knows, maybe she could become a friend.

**Tada! Another chapter done! I hope you're happy because this is how I procrastinate when I don't want to do homework. What do you think of Jane? I tried to paint a picture but I'll probably add more details later on. What do you think will happen? Reviews are always much obliged. I'll get started on the next chapter ASAP.**


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